Flush Switches For Awkward Places
Sometimes in a house you need to put in a built in junction box or a power switch in a place where you really do not want to put one in, because it is going to be highly visible in a place just where you do not want it to be, such as a junction box or isolating switch for a kitchen extractor fan as an example.
Indeed in a lot of countries and particularly the UK there is a legal requirement to have an isolator switch directly fitted to the extractor fan in the kitchen itself. This can mean citing a switch or fused junction box in the wall itself. In the kitchen typically these are placed somewhere right in the middle of your kitchen splash back, and as typically most splash backs are made of tiles, this can mean that the switch can look quite out of place and unsightly to see, particularly if it is sticking out from the edge of the tiles as is often the case.
So why not consider the use of a metal flat switch or junction box instead of the traditional white plastic one that you might be considering fitting. As the name suggests a flat switch is exactly that and rather than having a faceplate that sticks out 5 or 6 mm like a plastic switch does, a flat switch features a metal faceplate on the front of it which fits perfectly flat with the wall when screwed in place.
When fitted in place these switches typically feature a brushed stainless steel faceplate and look so good that they often become a feature rather than simply a practical object. Flat metal switches and sockets are more expensive than plastic ones and will not be for everyone's budget. However it is worthwhile considering them as the fact that when they are put in place they look absolutely stunning and will transform what could be considered a boring object into a high-end designer feature of whatever room they are fitted to.
The fact that these flat metal switches and sockets are perfectly flat means they are ideal for use in a wide range of uses where a normal switch might be considered awkward or unsightly. They are ideal for when you want to achieve a 'smooth look' to your room, or simply do not want an unsightly white plastic electrical fittings on the wall such as in the kitchen example as described above.